Crystal Memories
by Verum- truth
Summary: The groups reactions after awakening up from crystal with the pillar beside them. In this fic Snow and Serah never met instead he is with Hope. Slight slash - Hope & Snow and Fang & Vanille.


**So for the sake of this fic - Serah & Snow have never met. Slight Snow & Hope slash as well as Fang & Vanille.**

Lightning stared at the crystal pillar before her feeling the familiar grip of her sword within her palm. She crossed her free hand over the other refusing to take her eyesight away from her two friends whom had created the very spectacle that she observing. Her body still felt cold for seconds before it had been encased within crystal all of her small party had been. They had defeated Orphan. They had both saved and destroyed Cocoon. She was unaware of how many people were killed by her actions which saddened her but they were better off rather than still suffering under the control of Fal'cie. They hadn't cared about the people who served them nor about the L'cie who they turned twisting their lives into a clock ticking down to their destruction. Cieth or a crystal. Either way a L'cie life was over. At least that was what Lightening had believed for years an yet there she was. There they all were.

Her attention was pulled from her own head to her surroundings as she heard Sazh cheer out laughter escaping his throat. It sounded like the first time he had really expressed himself, the first time he had truly been happy. Light smiled looking to the ground and back up seeing the girl she had risked the world for. Serah. Her sister. Her best friend. Both Farrons stood for a moment watching the other with closed lips as if they wanted the other to prove themselves though of course neither could move with pure shock pumping adrenaline through their frozen bodies.

"Lightening?" muttered Serah finally being having her speech returned. "Is that you?"

"Yeah." she said nodding.

Both woman spread their arms wide at that moment running into each other's arms tears falling from the youngest eye's. Serah held on to her oldest sister practically squeezing the life out her. Lightening however didn't care, running her hand through the other's hair. The solider had never been so happy. She had rejected her focus, saved the earth, saved her friends and saved her sister all in one day. Light just wanted her life to slow down a bit, to have a care free life where instead of fighting monsters she could be fighting retail brands for a cheaper deal or where she could be stressed over cooking a seven course meal for her friends. Somehow deep down she knew she deserved it.

Turning around both girls went to leave though her arm was tucked by a younger blonde hair his arms folded and head tilted in an annoyed manner. Snow was behind the boy his larger frame seemingly quite amusing to the younger male, even funnier was the fact that the two men were dating. Hope had hated Snow at the beginning of their journey for the fate of his mother's death yet the two had grown closer more than either of them had desired, intended nor wanted at the time.

"Going without saying goodbye?" he asked sounding upset.

"I just want to forget about all of this. Start again."

"Well then I want to say thank you. For everything. For keeping me alive. For stopping me from killing Snow and for helping me fall in love with the guy."

"THAT was not part of the plan." she said raising an eyebrow Serah laughing beside her.

"I know but still." he agreed laughing while Snow stood behind him allowing the boy to lean against him.

"It was the best thing you've done Light." Snow said pumping his fist. "Besides saving your sister."

"Thought you were a hero?"

"Was. Now I'm just a hero for one little guy right here."

Hope blushed turning to face his new lover face filled with both happiness and a small spot of annoyance. He wasn't a little guy, not anymore. Just in height. He had grown so much. He had gotten bravery, stronger, faster and most of that was to do with Light. Her teaching and lessons were invaluable to him. He knew that without her he would probably be dead. He also needed to thank Vanille for keeping the journey happy, keeping as full of as many laughs as she could produce. Some of them of course had been fake but the laughter had kept them going that little bit more.

Snow observed his partner before him not being able to stop the laugh from escaping his lips. He could remember being thrown off of a building protecting Hope on the way down before the pair went to Hope's home. He couldn't remember a lot after that passing out slightly though remembered waking up to a curled up young man sleeping next to him. As if it was the most natural thing to do Villers had pulled the boy closer wrapping his arm around his waist. From that moment they had shared their first kiss. Extremely awkward as a first kiss should be yet mostly because Light and Hope's dad had walked in. The male laughed as he remembered the memory remembering Farron's mouth drop to the floor. Hope's had been a picture too full of lust, confusion and shock. He hadn't even kissed a guy before. It was a first for Snow too. It also felt right.

Sazh left with his son waving at the group as they marched towards an airship. That was it. He had finished. He had made friends on his journey even risking his life for all of them yet the one person he needed to apologize to would never again hear him speak. Vanille would be trapped in the crystal pillar holding the two worlds together for centuries, she and Fang would eventually be forgotten and to everyone that would lay eyes upon the structure they would few it as just another piece of nature. Nothing special. The black male wanted to say sorry to the young girl for all the tears that she had shed due to him. He wanted to also say sorry that he couldn't be in the pillar with her but his son needed him. Sazh was all he had left. There was no one else.

"Sorry Vanille." he muttered throwing his weapons to the floor and saluting the pillar.

Inside the pillar two women ran across soft strands of grass the sun pouring it's ray's upon them and a fierce wind blew against them providing just enough air to keep a mellow temperature. Vanielle quickly stopped once she remembered the reason they were in a land of paradise. They were dreaming. They were both crystal. They were together which was great but she couldn't help feeling like she had so much more to live for. Fang seemed to sense something was wrong for she stopped moving tilted her head and coughed to gather the other's focus. Eventually she turned to face her a small tear drifting across her left cheek.

"What's up?" she asked tilting the pink haired female's chin upwards allowing her to glance directly into her glistening eyes.

"Why me Fang?" she muttered.

"We had everything to give. We had already lived our lives they haven't."

"That's not good enough. They were all L'cie. Why couldn't Snow had been turned to crystal? Or Lightning? Or Hope? Why me?!" she screamed falling to her knees.

"You don't mean that."

"Yes I do." Vanille told her partner her heart beating ferociously within her chest.

"Vanille." muttered Fang holding the girl close to her chest whispered into her ear. "Stop. I'm here. I know it's not fair, life isn't fair but don't blame them."

"Your right. I'm just so scared."

"Yeah? Me too squirt."

Fang rose to her feet hands touching the crystal prison before her Vanille still crouched by her side. Using her lance she carved her name within the wall passing it to her only companion who carved her own directly below it before surrounding the two names with a heart as well as adding a number four with the letters e, v, e and r after it causing Fang to smirk. Vanille played innocent her hand's joining together once she finished unable to say a word though felt like she had said everything there was to say.

"Fang and Vanille together four ever huh?" she read.

"Yep."

She laughed her dark haired friend following suit. Nothing could hurt them while they were crystal. They no longer had focus's to complete they were free to live as they wanted to do. They would never know what the world outside them was like of course they wouldn't but that didn't matter. They didn't need to know because they were happy. They were together. Fang's main objective had been to save Vanille. She had done just that. Vanille's mission had been to try and make as many people happier as she could. She had done that and so much more. The female had made up for her past mistakes. She was finally able to forgive herself.

"I love you."

"I love you too Fang."


End file.
